Not a Servant
by ROSSELLA1
Summary: An old enemy of Henry's returns, angry with him for killing his own kind. When he kidnaps Abe to try and get Henry to stop, can Henry rescue his friend and prove once and for all that he's not a servant? Under revision.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or any of its characters.

I don't remember Henry mentioning what happened to Crowley so I'm assuming in this story he's still alive. BTW, anyone see the movie? Not nearly as good as the book, but still, I thought it was good. Although seeing an already kickass former president swinging an axe and accompanied by a sexy vampire…I don't see how that could ever turn out to be bad. Anyway, it inspired be to rewrite this and continue it, so here it goes.

After arriving in town, the vampire took lodgings in a room at the nearest inn and waited. He didn't have to wait long. People gossiped after all, like they always had and it wasn't long before he heard reports of a man who lived in a cabin in the woods and who seldom ventured out except at night. After that it was only a matter of finding the exact location of the cabin and knocking on the door. At first his knocks went unanswered, but after the third round of pounding, a tall, pale male with black hair opened the door.

"I'm sorry, sir, I was busy and I…oh. It's you." The vampire, for vampire he was, broke off, and it was obvious that he was using all his self-control not to throttle the other vampire that stood at his door.

"Hello Henry!" the visitor said, beaming. "It's been so long and I just thought I'd drop-"

"What do you want Crowley?" Henry Sturges growled, his eyes flashing with barely contained rage.

"Tut, tut. Is that anyway to greet an old friend? I wonder, might I come in?" He asked, then without waiting for an answer, pushed past the owner of the cabin. "Ah, 1582!" he said picking up a bottle of wine that was resting on the counter, "You've kept it all these years?"

"Put it down!" Henry said forcefully.

"Very well." Crowley said sighing, "It would have been nice though to-"

"Why are you here?"

"Always to the point, aren't you? I remember that now." The vampiric doctor shook his head. "Very well! I've been hearing things, Henry, dreadful things. About you and a friend of yours, a human, I believe. Abe?"

"What about him?"

"Well, I hear that you and he have been going around killing our own kind! Of course, that's preposterous, you killing another vampire out of sheer spite, but, you see, I just had to come to you to see if it was true!"

"Aye, it's true. Not that it's any of your business." Henry confirmed.

"Well then!" Crowley said, turning a grim gaze on the other vampire, and shaking his head. "You simply must stop it! I know we've never been a…social species, but hunting your own kind? For just being what they are? It's unnatural! It cannot continue! And teaching a human to do so as well? No," Crowley stomped his foot, vehemently, "it must stop!"

"And if I don't?" Henry asked haughtily.

"Well." The older vampire took a step closer, placing himself in Henry's personal space. Henry refused to be intimidated into moving backwards. "I'll have to stop you, of course. I always liked you Henry, but it's just not natural, one vampire killing another. We have to stick together! It's bad enough, you having a human as a friend, but actually helping him kill your own kind? That's just-"

"I wouldn't be your "kind" if it wasn't for you." Henry spat, "The vampires we kill are amoral, murdering, bastards just like you! They kill women, children, people who can't defend themselves!"

"But even so-"

"I suggest you leave, Crowley, before I give in to my baser instincts and kill you right now!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." The other said, shaking his head and drawing himself up to his full height, losing all his jollity. "Well, I warned you, Henry old chap, I warned you. I suppose I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

Henry stiffened, expecting Crowley to leap at him any moment, but instead he just bid him farewell and left him to ponder the other's last words.

…...

Henry did not have to wait long to find out what Crowley meant. It was generally understood that it was unwise to go knocking at his cabin door. Not that he had ever hurt anyone in the town (at least not the innocent) but, while most people seemed to stay as close to their neighbors as possible, Henry had gone out of his way to avoid the townsfolk. He had built his cabin as far from the town as he could and at the same time not arouse suspicion. He seldom went into town and, when he did, he did not stop to make idle chatter. When people happened to knock at his door he was always just barely civil. Because of this, people tended to avoid contact with their odd neighbor. So, it was a surprise when, only a week after the unwelcome visitor had left, another knock came at the door. This time, Henry was even more stunned to see who his visitor was.

Standing on his doorstep, in a torn, brown dress and a pair of well-worn moccasins, was Mary Todd Lincoln. Her eyes looked red and she appeared not to have slept in days. It was due to this distraught state of being that Henry was lucky enough to have time to conceal his shock. He had seen her from afar and in pictures, but had never been introduced. Meeting her would call for too many explanations and lead to even more ties to mortals who he would be left to mourn in a few decades, if he got too close. He also knew that Abe was averse to sharing his more peculiar hobbies with his family and so Henry could not fathom how she came to be on his doorstep. Surely this did not bode well…

"Excuse me, sir," she began quietly but firmly, "Are you Mr. Henry Sturges?"

"Indeed I am, Miss…?" he trailed off, pretending not to recognize her.

"Lincoln. Mrs. Mary Lincoln. I…I don't know if you've heard of me. It's just that… I found some envelopes with your address on them in my husband's study. Abe doesn't have many correspondents and, since you seem to have written to him quite a few times, I thought it might be worth it to come see you. Have you by any chance heard from my husband lately?"

"No." Henry replied, his heart filling with dread. "I haven't. May I ask why you are asking?"

"It's just…" and she started to cry. "Abe went out four nights ago and hasn't been back or been in contact since. I don't know what to do! No one seems to have heard from him or seen him since he disappeared! It's normal for him to spend a night away, or sometimes two, every once in a while. Not often. About once a month or so, but never this long!"

Swallowing, Henry placed a hand on her shoulder, "Listen to me. I want you to go home and take care of your son. Abe and I… we go back a long time. I think I might know some places to look for him. I want you to relax and go on with your life. I'll find your husband and bring him back as soon as possible."

"Do you think I should tell the police?"

"No. I don't see what good that will do. Just go home and wait. This will be over before you know it."

After arguing with him for a little she finally gave up and turned and headed back to town. Henry watched her go. Then, closing the door and turning to lean his back against it, the vampire slid to the floor, dropping his head into his hands.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or any of its characters.

The first things Abe noticed when he woke were that he was in some underground cabin, much like the one Henry had had when they had first met, and that he had a pounding headache, which made it difficult to think. He tried to get up, but he had been tied with his hand behind his back, arms wrapped around some sort of pillar. His legs had been spread out in front of him, each foot chained to different pillars. When Abraham bent his head to try and fish a knife out of his shirt pocket, he found that everything in the pocket was gone. No doubt , that meant that it was no use trying to reach any of his other weapons. What the Hell had happened? Surely, it had something to do with hunting (how else could he have come to be in this condition?), but beyond that…oh, his head hurt! He fought against the sharp pain as hard as he would fight against the creatures of the night. For all he knew, piecing together his last waking moments could prove vital to his survival. Finally, after much concentration, Abe remembered.

People had been falling ill a few towns over. Fevers, hallucinations; the same symptoms that Abe's mother and Ann had had. He had gone to investigate and had quickly found a common factor. Despite the fact that there were multiple doctors in town, all of the invalids had visited the same one: a man by the name of Crowley. Remembering what Henry had told him, Abe had approached this with extra caution. Crowley was older than Henry, so Abe could safely assume that the vampire was more experienced than any Abraham had had the displeasure of encountering. He thought about writing to Henry for aid, but there just wasn't enough time. The longer he waited, the more people would die. And so, last night (or so he assumed it to be; he had no way of knowing how much time had passed), he had knocked at Crowley's door, pretending that more people had taken ill and begging the doctor to hurry. It seemed to be going well. Crowley had gotten his bag and the two had headed towards town. After walking a while, Abe had pointed to a dark spot in the bushes and asked Crowley if he saw anything. While Crowley was distracted, Abe had pulled the martyr from his pocket and went to throw it at the vampire but, before he could blink, Crowley had whipped back, giving Abe a powerful kick to the stomach. This not only knocked the martyr from Abe's hand, but had also sent him crashing into a tree. Then…then nothing. Then he had woken up in his prison.

The hunter had no idea why Crowley hadn't killed him while Abe was incapacitated. Was he the type that liked to play with his prey? Let them know that he was the last thing they would ever see? Or could he have turned Abe into a vampire, like the Doctor had done to Henry? Abe didn't feel any different, but he didn't know if being a vampire _did_ feel any different than being human. He didn't have long to ponder this theory before he heard the sound of a door opening somewhere to his left. A moment later Crowley was standing in front of Abe grinning down at him.

"Well, it looks like my guest is finally awake! Did you sleep well? I do hope the accommodations aren't too… uncomfortable."

"What do you want?" Abe snarled, tugging at his bonds. He was in no mood for games. If Crowley was going to torture or kill him Abe wanted to get it over with.

"Come now," the other pouted, "there's no need to be so rude! I assure you that this is nothing personal. I just need a bit of, how would you say it? Leverage! That's the word!"

"Meaning?"

"I've already been to see your Henry." Crowley replied in a condescending tone, as if Abraham knew what this was about and was just trying to lie to the vampire. "Very irascible he was, too! Especially considering that the two of us are old friends… well anyway, surely you understand that it's not good to have a vampire help a human kill other vampires! It's just not done! So, of course I tried to convince him to drop it, but he wouldn't listen! So, I needed to take other measures."

"He won't stop." Abe snapped, seeing where this was going. Part of him hoped that he'd mean enough to Henry that the vampire would make a deal, but another part of him, a bigger part of him, dismissed this feeling as cowardly. After all, were there positions reversed, it would only fuel the rage Abe felt towards those of Henry's kind that deserved Hell. "I'm just a human. There are plenty of more to help him hunt down the likes of you. He'll just find a replacement."

"But surely he wouldn't leave his friend to the machinations of someone he knows to be merciless!" Crowley said in a mocking tone, then in a more serious one, "He knows what will happen if he doesn't drop it." The creature crouched down so that he could look his captive in the eye. "I've been around much longer than your Henry. He knows better than anyone what I can do to a man. He'll either do as I ask, and I'll let you go, after I'm certain he'll keep his promise, or he'll come barging in for a grand rescue, in which case I'll have to kill you both." He sighed. "Oh well, it has to be done." The vampire shrugged. "Now, I'm afraid we must dispense with the pleasantries and get on to business." He slipped a knife and a vial from his pocket. Abraham doubled his struggles. "Now, now." Crowley soothed. "This'll only hurt a bit. I just need a souvenir to send to Henry. To prove that you're in danger, you understand." The hand holding the knife flicked out, lodging the blade in Abraham's shoulder. It hurt like Hell, but Abraham held his tongue, setting for a catch in his breath; he'd had worse. "Good boy." Crowley praised, and held the vial beneath the blade. Pressing on the wound, the Doctor let the blood drip into it until the container was full. Finally, the Doctor withdrew the knife, licking the blade clean. "That should do." Pocketing the vial and the blade, Crowley rose to his feet. "Now, you just wait here." He disappeared up the stairs and was back within a minute, this time carrying a bucket, a rag, and some bandages. "Can't have you dying of infection before the fun starts." The Doctor skillfully cleaned and bandaged Abraham's wound, while the hunter focused his energy on keeping his face stoic. "There!" Crowley said proudly, patting Abraham's head and rising to his feet after he was finished. "Now, I'm going to leave you here to rest. I'll be back tonight with food. I expect to see that you've slept well!" The vampire held up a finger, like a teacher that expected his student to protest.

Abraham didn't give Crowley the satisfaction. It was only after his captor left, that the hunter allowed his head to fall back against the pillar and bit his lip to lessen the pain.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or any of its characters. Oh, and just in case anybody wants a timeline, Crowley's first visit would have been on June 15th. Since he didn't expect Henry to accept his demand, Crowley had moved to a town near where Abe lived around June 1st and had started taking an extra amount of victims starting June 10th. Abe went to investigate on June 16th, and was abducted on June 18th, but because getting thrown against a tree and beaten up by a vampire isn't good for anyone, he spent two days unconscious. Mary's visit was on June 20nd, although Crowley mailed the package to Henry the day after he abducted Abe. Mail being slower back then, it arrived on the 22nd. However, since Henry's a vampire and can travel fast, he can still get to another state within the allotted time. Also, while Bloomsfield (now Bloomingdale Indiana) is a real town/village, I have no idea whether there is or ever was a Boarshead Pub there.

Henry did not waste much time after Mary left; he allowed himself only ten minutes to wallow in his anxiety. Then, he rose to his feet and set off, using every vampiric ability he had that would aid him in tracking Crowley. It was no use. He could pick up traces of Crowley's scent here, find a piece of cloth from the vampire's cloak there. But after a mile, the trail was scattered to the winds. Clearly, Crowley had gone to great lengths to cover his tracks. Henry wouldn't find him until Crowley wanted him to. By the end of the next day, Sturges knew that he had to return to his cabin. The Doctor viewed everything as a game and, if one didn't play by Crowley's rules, the results were…undesirable, to say the least. Crowley would make contact when he was good and ready.

Henry spent the next couple of days doing something he had never done before. He spent whole days and nights in town. He split his time between waiting at the Post Office and downing as much ale as he could buy and still not be conspicuous, wishing that vampires could get drunk. Finally, on the second day, a package arrived for him, with Crowley's scent all over it. Barely walking at human speed, Henry ran back to his cabin to open the package in privacy, unsure whether its contents would be explainable to the town's inhabitants. Upon opening the package, Henry was filled with both horror and relief.

The contents were a vial of blood and a letter. Henry uncorked the vial to take a whiff, but it only confirmed what he'd already guessed; the blood was Abraham's. An instinctive growl tore through him at the scent, and he almost ripped the letter when he took it from its envelope.

_My Dear Henry,_

The letter began.

_ I gave you a chance to put a stop to this nonsense peacefully and you decline. Very rudely, I might add. Now, I must resort to this dreadful act of violence. You should be ashamed of yourself, you really should! _

_But I suppose that's neither here nor there. In case you haven't heard, I have taken your friend, Abraham. The vial of blood should be all the proof you need. At the moment, he remains tied up in my basement. To negotiate the terms of his release, you are to meet me on Wednesday, June 26__th__, at the Boarshead Pub, in Bloomfield, Indiana. I assure you that, until then, he will remain well-fed and unharmed. If we can reach a satisfactory agreement, then I will release him and we can all wash our hands of the matter. If you remain stubborn, then I will have to use poor Abraham as a way to prove to you just how serious I am._

_Always yours,_

_T. Crowley, Dr._

Sighing, Henry crumpled the letter and put it in his pocket, and then he set out. He'd get there early, but he couldn't stand to wait around here any longer.

…..

Henry arrived in the town a full two days ahead of schedule and put himself up in an inn. He spent each of those nights at the Boarshead, hoping that Crowley would arrive early, as well, but he had no such luck; the older vampire arrived on the 28th, exactly as the Pub opened. The Doctor grinned when he saw Henry waiting for him, and gestured for him to follow him to a table on the corner.

"Hello, Henry. " Crowley greeted Henry cheerfully, as the other vampire sat down. " You-"

"Where. Is. He?" Henry growled.

Crowley sighed. "Must we get to business right away? I was thinking we could-"

"WHERE IS HE?"

Crowley shushed him, as several of the Pub's patrons glanced over at them. "Now, now. No need to get angry! If you want to talk about Abraham, then that's what we'll do." He took an unnecessary breath. "Abraham is tucked away in the basement of my cabin-"

"Where's your cabin?"

Crowley tsked. "Henry, Henry, you know I can't tell you that? That would ruin the point! He will remain there until we can reach an agreement."

"Alright. I'm listening."

"As I told you before, I want you to stop killing our own kind and ensure that Mr. Lincoln does the same."

"And if I do, you'll let him go?"

"Of course!"

"Then,I agree." Henry replied, making sure to shield his thoughts from the other vampire. Once Abraham was released and had recovered from his ordeal, they could continue hunting, starting with Crowley.

"Excellent!" Crowley replied happily. "I'm glad that's out of the way. Now let's finish order some ale and we can both be on our merry way."

"No." Henry slammed his fist down on the table. "Go get Abraham, now!"

Crowley's face took on a worried look. "But surely you didn't think you were getting him back tonight!"

"That's exactly what I thought!"  
>"But then you could be lying!" Crowley shook his head. "I must keep your friend out of the way long enough for you both to know that I am serious."<p>

"We both know you're serious." Henry hissed, leaning in so that he was inches from the older vampire's face. "Release him now."

"No." Crowley replied firmly. "That would not be wise. Now, sit back and relax." He signaled to the bartender to bring over two ales.

"Listen to me, you-"

"No, you listen." Crowley snapped, leaning forward. "I have your friend and I can do anything I want to him. I'm only allowing him to live out of courtesy to you. Anytime I want I could solve this problem by killing him both him and you. Do as I ask and I won't. Now, sit back and drink up."

Henry gritted his teeth and did as Crowley asked. Crowley held all the ropes and fighting the Doctor wouldn't end well for Henry or Abe. It was best to appear to accept what Crowley was offering. The two finished their drinks, Crowley prattling on about inconsequential things, Henry making terse replies. Finally, Crowley rose to his feet and threw enough money for both the drinks on the table.

"Well, Henry, I must be off! Your friend will be getting hungry! Just stay at your cabin and I'll be in touch soon. Good night!"

"Good night." Henry said, and watched the Doctor leave. He made sure to wait a good thirty minutes. Then, he rose to his feet, left the Pub, and followed Crowley's trail.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or any of its characters. Oh, and I'm assuming that, since vampires can sleep in the book, they can also be knocked unconscious.

Henry walked several hours, having to pick out the strongest trail from among several. Finally, the trails narrowed into one and Abraham's scent mixed with Crowley's. Only five minutes later, the path opened up into a clearing, at the center of which, stood a cabin. Henry circled the cabin; there was only one door and no windows. Well, so much for a subtle entry. Being as quiet as he could, Henry approached the door and tried the handle. It was unlocked.

He felt a pang of unease. Everything he knew about Crowley told him that the vampire wouldn't be so careless. His instincts screamed, ordering him to take off running and return to his own cabin. But Henry knew all too well that Crowley's temper was mercurial and the younger vampire just couldn't trust the older one not to harm Abraham. So, pushing aside the instincts that had helped him stay alive for so many years, Henry pushed the door open. He peered around the room and, finding no one, allowed himself to slip inside. Reluctantly, Henry closed the door behind, effectively sealing his only exit.

The moment the small thud of the door closing reached Henry's ears, he tensed his body, preparing for Crowley to dart out from some hidden room. But nothing happened. Forcing himself to turn his back on the room, Henry followed Abraham's scent to a set of stairs. Pressing himself against the wall, he made his way down them into a cellar. The vampire could hear the steady heartbeat and soft breathing of a man at rest. Henry paused, listening for any sign that someone else was present; a rasp of clothing, a sigh. But there was nothing. Slowly, he continued down until he emerged into the basement room.

Henry could see Abraham tied to the columns that held the roof up. The man's head was bowed, so he hadn't noticed his friend's arrival, but Henry could hear the clicks of Abe's eyelids. The vampire glanced around the room. They appeared to be alone. Henry took a step towards Abraham. The man looked up and Henry noticed with a sense of unease that his friend was gagged. That didn't make sense unless…

"So good of you to come, Henry."

Henry jerked around in surprise, just in time to see a fist headed towards his face. There was an explosion of pain, and then there was darkness.

…..

When Henry came to, he was trussed up to the pole opposite Abraham. His hands were tied much too tight for him to break free. Henry glanced around the room and was relieved to find that they were alone.

"Are you alright?" He asked Abraham, whose gag had been removed.

"Yes." Abraham replied with a wry smile. "But I'd be a lot better if my only chance of rescue hadn't been captured as well." He paused. "How's your head?"

"It's been better."

"Any chance you can break the ropes?"

"No, but I might be able to…" Henry trailed off, twisting his hands as much as he could. His fingernails could just reach one layer of the rope.

"What?"

"I shouldn't tell you. He can hear your thoughts. I'm actually surprised he hasn't-" Henry's ears detected the sound of footsteps on the top of the stairs. "Never mind."


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or any of its characters. 

Abraham tensed at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. It was strange, he thought, feeling unsafe in Henry's presence. Usually, Henry being in the room calmed the hunter, but Abe knew that there wasn't anything the vampire could do to protect him. Unless Henry's- well, Abe shouldn't think about that. The older vampire came into view, walking in between his two captives, his back to Abraham.

"I'm sorry it came to this, Henry; I really am." Crowley sighed. "I had hoped you'd see reason."

"Like Hell you did." Henry spat, causing Abraham to flinch. There was more fury in Henry's normally calm tone than Abraham had ever heard before. "You knew I'd follow you before you even talked to me!"

"I suspected, yes." The vampire shook his head sadly. "But I hoped that you'd surprise me. Really, Henry, I'm disappointed in you. I taught you better. Well, I guess there's no use crying over spilled blood…" Crowley paused, looking from Abraham to Henry. When neither reacted, he frowned and continued. "You simply refuse to act rationally and this needs to be taken care of. My only regret," Crowley glanced back at Abe, who felt a pang of unease, "is that you had to drag this gentleman into this."

Now Henry's voice changed. "He doesn't need to stay in this. I'm the one who told him to kill our kind, you can let him go and deal with me. He won't kill anymore vampires, will you Abe?"

Abraham knew that Henry was trying to get him out of trouble, but he couldn't stand for that. Abe knew he shared just as much of the blame as Henry; even if Henry hadn't trained him, he would have found a way to kill vampires (albeit he survived the old woman). "I most certainly will, starting with this son of a bitch!" This earned him a glare from Henry and a chuckle from Crowley.

"Well, that will be difficult to do, seeing as you're all tied up…" Another pause followed by another frown. "But to tell you the truth, even if you did promise to stop I couldn't let you go. Henry's been very thorough in his teaching and, if the head count is anything to go by, you seem to have a natural talent for killing our kind. If Henry refuses to keep you in check, I must deal with you myself."

"He-"

"It's no used, Henry." Crowley held up a hand at the younger vampire's protest. "I've quite made up my mind as to what needs to be done."

There was a blur of movement and then Abraham felt a sharp pain in his arm. His captor had latched himself to him and was drawing out his life, drop by drop! Abraham struggled to throw Crowley off, but it was useless. He could feel himself growing weaker and weaker. Henry was shouting something and thrashing about, but Crowley paid him no heed. Dots started to dance before Abraham's eyes.

'I'm going to die.' He thought. 'We both are.'

His natural instinct at this epiphany was to double his efforts at throwing the vampire off, but his strength was now like that of a kitten when fighting a mountain lion. Abraham fought to keep his eyes open, knowing that if he closed them, he might not wake up. But the loss of blood made it impossible and he soon sank into oblivion. His last awareness was of a sharper stab of pain in his arm, where, no doubt, the vampire was finishing his meal.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or any of its characters. 

Henry shouted, making as much noise as he could to mask the frantic sawing noise his nails were making against the rope. He had been slowly cutting his bindings as Crowley was talking, but he'd gotten nowhere near enough off to break free. But now Henry couldn't be bothered with subtlety. Every second that passed brought Abe closer to death. Henry could see his friend's skin paling at the sudden loss of blood and knew that he'd already lost at least two pints, maybe more. If Henry couldn't- There!

Halfway through the rope, it was weak enough for him to break free. With a roar, Henry through himself forward, tearing Crowley off of Abraham. Using the advantage of surprise, he ripped the elder vampire's arm off. Crowley was a formidable opponent, but Henry had rage on his side. Henry thrust his hand into the other's abdomen and closed it around the other vampire's intestines. Yanking them out with on hand, he closed the other around Crowley's neck. The older vampire managed to land a blow to Henry's jaw, but Henry had spent years working on nothing else but his fighting technique and took it with only a grimace and a grunt. Tightening his grip, Henry squeezed until his fingers broke through the skin, muscle, and bones to meet. Henry saw Crowley's eyes glaze over and he smiled triumphantly.

The joy quickly faded, as Henry forgot his rage, let the body drop, and turned back to Abe. His friend's face was two shades darker than a piece of chalk and more blood was leaving his body by the second. Henry quickly ripped his shirt off and tied a tourniquet around his friend's arm.

"Abraham!" His friend didn't answer. "Abe!" Henry patted his friend's cheek. "Damnit!" Henry dashed up the stairs and out of the house to a well nearby. Rapidly filling the bucket, he lifted it off its hook and carried it back inside. Bringing it down to the basement, he ladled it to his friend's mouth. "Drink, Abe." He was rewarded by Abraham sticking his tongue out to lap it up. "That's it." He encouraged. Henry shifted so that Abe's head was in his lap and started to rub his friend's temple. A little bit of color started to come back.

Slowly, after a minute or so more of Henry's ministrations, Abraham's eyes flickered open. "He-henry?"

"Oh, thank God!" Henry sighed, the tension leaving his shoulders, and he couldn't resist bending down to press a kiss to his friend's brow. "I thought…well, never mind." Henry regained his composure. "How do you feel?"

"Like, like I-I lost well over four p-p-pints of- Crowley!" Abraham jerked up and then instantly fell back down, rolling over on his side, vomiting up what little there was in his stomach. "Oh." To Henry's admiration and chagrin, the hunter tried to get up again.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Henry pulled Abraham back down, so that he was laying on his side again. " Steady, my friend. You're far too weak to move on your own." He tugged his friend off to the side of the room, away from the vomit so the smell wouldn't make Abe sick again. "We'll wait here until you're well enough to be moved."

"But Crow-"

Henry gave a thin smile. "Peace. There is no longer any need to fear him."

Abraham blinked up at him, then cast his eyes around the room. "Ah, I see." He said, his eyes lighting on the mangled corpse.

"I must apologize, Abraham. I should have killed him long ago."

Abraham shrugged. "Well…h-he's dead now. That's…that's what…what matters…" He trailed off.

Henry put a hand on Abe's brow, smiling down. "Rest. I'll take care of you." And for the first time in over a week, Abraham allowed himself to relax.


End file.
